Concrete and artificial stone



(NoModelL) V J; C. SELLARS.

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING CONCRETE AND ARTIFICIAL STONE.

1101244322. Patented July 12,1881.

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I 27M 137 7 II 1 H 1 7 l ////1/ A V/A I ,T i H 4% blocks or articles out of the'molds.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. SELLARS, OF BIRKENHEAD, UOUNTY OF CHESTER, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING CONCRETE ANDARTIF ICIAL STONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,322, dated July 12, 1881. Application filed May 31, 1881. (No model.) Patented in England September 23. 1876, and December 27, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN CARRINGTON SEL- 1,279, bearing date September 23, 1876, and

No. 4,905, hearing date December 27, 1877,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for mold ing-concrete and artificial stone when in a semiplastic condition into various forms, such as hollow blocks, slabs, linings, jointings, ridgetiles, window-heads, and the like, employed in buildings.

Hitherto apparatus for molding concrete and artificial stone has not been so constructed as to producewith facility blocks or pieces having-the desired shapes truly and correctly made so as to present a neat and finished appearance and be ready for use in buildings without further preparation other than aging.

' The objects of my improvements are, first, to provide apparatus in which blocks and other pieces used in buildings may be made with facility, of various forms and sizes, truly shaped and accurately finished; and, second, to afford facilities for filling the molds and removing the molded articles.

I attain the above objects by means of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 isa front elevation, Fig. 2 a side elevation, partly in section, and Fig. 3 a plan view, also partly in section, of the press or that part of the apparatus for giving the desired shape to the concrete or artificial stone, and arranged for making hollow blocks. Fig. etis a front elevation, and Fig. 5 a plan view, partly in section, of the apparatus for raising and lowering the ejectors for raising the finished Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the plunger for compressing the concrete or artificial stone. Fig. 7 is a plan view, Fig. 8 a sectional elevation, and Fig. 9 a front view, of apparatus for facilitating the charging of the molds with semi-plastic concrete or artificial stone.

The same figures refer to similar parts throughout the several-views;

made.

1 is a bed-plate, which may, if desired, be mounted on'wheels to permit of the apparatus being easily moved; from place to place; 2, standard carrying the steam-cylinder 3 4, steam-pipe; 5, exhaust-pipe; 6, waste-water pipe. The pipes 1 and 5 are joined to a valvebox attached to the cylinder 3 and containing a valve connected to a lever, 7. The valvebox' and valve are of any usual or desired kind for admitting and exhausting steam from each end of a cylinder.

S is a piston-rod; 9, body of plunger or die used only in making hollow blocks; 10, top of plunger or die 11, suction-ring surrounding body of plunger and fitted with pins 12, free to slide in holes in the top 10 of the plunger or die. The said pins are secured to the ring 11 by screwing or riveting, and are provided with beads or equivalent means to prevent the ring 11 from falling too low. The plunger 9 10 is secured to the piston-rod head 13 by screws or in any convenient manner, so that any desired shape of plunger or die may be used.

14. is a guide-bar secured to or forming part of the piston-rod head 13. The said guide-bar works in between guide-pieces 15, secured in any usual or desired manner to the standard 2.

16 is a catch suspended from a fulcrum-pin at 17 and falling under a projection, 18, on the piston-rod head 13.

19 is a frame carrying the bearers 20, which latter serve as a table to carry the mold 21. The mold 21 is cast or made in one pieee,'or of two or more pieces bolted together, and is secured on the bearers 20 by means of bolts or equivalent fastenings. 22 are grid-projections forming part of the bearers 20. 23 is a foundation-rin g, which rests on the grid-projections 22 and serves as a bottom to the mold while the block or other article is being molded and as means for removing the molded block. 21 is acore supported by the concrete or artificial stone within the mold and free to slide down the guide-rods 25, which work in holesin the said core. The cores and foundation-rim gs are of various sizes, according to the blocks to be The hole in the foundation-ring must be sufficiently large to let the core pass through. When solid blocks. are made the core is not used, and the foundation-ring has no hole through it.

26 represents ejectors, carried by the ring27 and adjustable transversely in slotted carriers 28, which arethemselves adjustable longitudinally in the ring 27 ,so as to allow of the said ejectors being placed in any'desired position to insure the proper ejectment of' the finished block fromv the mold. The ejectors 26 and carriers 28 are secured in position by screws, nuts,

' clips, or in any other well-known manner.

291is a'bar and guide secured to or made with the ring 27, and workingbetween the i guidepieces 30, lifting -,rods,' jointed to i the bar 29 at 3l,passin g through a guide, 32,

and held togctherby a spring, 33. The ends of: the said lifting-rods are formed with catches 34. represents disen ga gin g-prongs, pivoted at 36 to the standard 2,'and connectedto the 1 41, on which thefoundation ring 23 rests; v24,

core 42, hinged side to box, held in positionv by catches 4.3 44, shutters slidingina groove in the side 42. r

The action of the apparatus is as'follows': Concrete or artificial stone in a semi -plastic conditionis filled intov the feeding-box 40, surthe top of the gridprojections 22.

rounding'the core 24. The said ibo'x'is then lifted or run on rails over the mold 21. The catches 41 are released, and the foundation-. ring, core,'and contents'allowed to drop into the mold, where the foundation-ring rests on The catch 16is released and the lever 7 is moved, so as to admit steam to the top of thecylinder, the plunger or die '9 1O descends, and the portion 9 of the said plunger or die drives down the core 24, and by its taper form compresses the concrete or artificial stone sidewise. The part aillot the plunger or die compresses the said materialvertically. More than one blow of the die 9 10 may be given to insure consolidation of the block. As the plunger or die rises the suction-ring 11 sticks by suction to the top of the block until there is a space through which air can pass and allow the said ring to leave the surface of the block freely. If the suctionring 11 were not free to remain stationary until the plunger or die had risen a slight distance, air could not get to the surface of the block, and parts of such block would adhere to the plunger or die and the upper surface would be uneven. When the block is made the lever 7 is moved until steam is admitted to the bottom of the cylinder, and the plunger or die is raised to the top of its stroke, and is held in position by the catch 16. When the said plunger or die has risen about half the distance to the top of its stroke, the guide-bar 14 engages with the catches 34 and the ring 27, and with it the ejectors 26 are raised and the foundation-ring and block are carried to the top of the mold. The foundation-ring and finished block are then removed and placed in any suitable position to age. The treadle 37 is depressed, the disengagin g-pron gs 35 descend and open the catches 34 until they are free from the guide-bar 14, and the ejectors 26 and ring 27. then fall by the actionof gravity. The Y core 24, left on the guide-rods 25 beneath'the mold, is removed, and the mold is ready tobe charged with fresh material. v v

Y The foundation-rings provide means for the easy removal of the'finished blocks and serve ,asbottoms for the feed-boxes. he spaces between the grid-projections 22 allow any convcrete or artificial stone left in the mold to escape, so that the foundation-ring shall bed squarely in the bottom of the mold. For the better insuringof that purpose the gridprojections 22 are tapered upward.

When one of the surfaces of the outside ofa buildingthe side4t2 is opened, as shown in Fig.8, fine concrete or artificial stone is placed thereon, the shutter 44: is inserted, and thesideis closed. The interior is then filled with coarser material and the shutter is withdrawn. The contents are then allowed to fall in the mold, and a block is. produced having a surfaceof fine or superior material. For 'cornenblocks one end and one side of the feedablockison v a ing-box 40 are hinged and provided with a Y shutter.

The molds and dies and feeding boxes are varied in shape and size according to the articles it is desired to produce. v vWhatclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is, in apparatus for molding concrete or artificial stone- Y 1. The combination of aplunger, an open- :bottomed mold, a movablemold-bottom, a

movable core, and mechanism for actuating the plunger, core, and mold-bottom, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a mold, a plunger, and a loose relief or suction plate for preserving the surface of the molded article during the withdrawal of the plunger, substantially as specified.

3. In a moldtable for detachable bottom molds, the combination of the adjustable moldbearers, having grids or projections for the support of the mold-bottom or foundation-rim g, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of an open-bottom mold, a foundation-ring, and a mold-table having grids or projections which support the foundation-ring and permit the escape of surplus material, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with the plunger and mold, of a movable core and guide-rods for insuring the proper movement of the core as it withdraws from the mold before the advancing plunger, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with the open-bottom mold and foundation-rm g adapted to traverse the mold, of the series of adjustable ejectors and mechanism for actuating the ejectors, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination of a plunger, an openbottom mold, a bottom or foundation ring movable through the mold, ejectors for lifting the foundation-rim g, and a lifting-rod for actuating the ejectors from the plunger, substantially as open-bottom mold having a foundation-plate and for the purpose specified. adapted to traverse the mold, of a series of 8. The combination, with an open-bottom ejectors, 26, an ejector-ring, 27, jointed spring feed-box, of a detachable foundation-ring and lifting-rods 30, and the disengaging devices 15 5 a loose core, substantially as and for the pur- 35, substantially as and for the purpose specipose specified. fied.

9. The feed-box provided with a hinged side piece and a detachable slide or shutter for di- SELLARS' viding the box into two compartments, sub- Witnesses: IO stantially as and for the purpose specified. T. JOHNSON, 10. The combination, with a plunger and an J. RIOHMAN. 

